Experienced cat people...what is your opinion of the use of steroidal injections for cats?

Actually, vets have very few options when it comes to pain relief in cats. NSAIDS aren't the answer, as Metacam's use long term is even worse than steroids! NSAIDS can kill a cat. With a 17 year old cat, the vet has fewer options still. At 17, the issues may be due to age, and not the steroids. This is really a question for your vet. Steroids rarely have side effects that show up immediately. They can be extremely effective in reducing inflammation, and thereby reducing pain. A 17 year old cat is likely to pass from old age long before they pass from the complications of steroid use, so the risks need to be tempered with the animal's age, the benefits to the cat, and the other options the vet has available.

We can't assume it's an irresponsible vet who's gone this route - we don't have enough information. I will say that for our very elderly dog diagnosed with a spinal tumor, we went the route of massive steroids and NSAIDS. They were in a high enough dose that her liver would have been destroyed in a year - but bought her 3 months of high quality life free of pain. This was done with much discussion with the vet - surgery or chemotherapy were not options for her.

If you can let us know the other issues, perhaps we can be of more help. But no one is going to be as much help to you as the vet.

First I have to take issue with the use of Metacam for pain. It is dangerous to use, especially for more than once, and even then should only be as a last resort. Too few vets seem to know the dangers of it, especially if the cat has any kidney problems. And in an older cat, that would be a real concern.

Steroidal injections can do wonders, but should be considered for only short term. Side effects are numerous. Fortunately, side effects are less in cats than in dogs. I have provided a link.

Cosequin, which is glucosamine and chondroitin in a flavored capsule can really help, and it non-prescription.

As long as you can find a good way of pain management, and your cat is relatively active (for a 17 years old), eats, drinks, and no litter box or grooming issues, he has many more years of unconditional love to give.

I wouldn't turn to this therapy as a routine or long term means of relieving pain. The adverse effects that it can have on the liver & kidneys are enough to make me leery, especially in an older cat. When one of mine was diagnosed with arthritis at age 14, we used Metacam (an NSAID) short term (about two weeks) while working into a daily therapy of Cosequin. Cosequin is a natural joint supplement containing Glucosamine and Chondroitin and it seemed to work well for my cat. I'll note that some people question the safety of Metacam, as cats have suffered horrible side effects from overdoses and/or prolonged use. It's been my experience that the drug is safe when given in smaller doses for a short period of time.

What are the "issues that were not there before?" We don't have cyrstal balls to gaze into to find out what they are :-)

Steroids can be effective for a lot of conditions and problems but we usually will not allow our cats to be given any type of steroids, whether they be systemic or topical. Many cats develop diabetes after they are given steroids. It is not a huge number, but it is high enough for us to go with something other than a steroid.

Most of this occurs with cats who have been given steroid injections but we have learn, ourselves, that topical steroids can wreck havoc with the blood glucose levels of a diabetic cat - something the literature or vets don't know or don't bother to pass along.

We will allow our cats to receive steroids but only if there is not a good alternative or if they have a problem that is more severe than diabetes. I am talking about elderly cats - say 17 and older - who have health problems or "comfort" problems that are chronic and for which there is no treatment other than steroids.

But we still think long and hard before authorizing the use of steroids, systemic or topical.

We have had four diabetic cats since 2000. The first was my good buddy Simon - http://www.sugarcatsimon.com/ - and the others were cats we adopted, knowing that they were diabetic, that were in danger of being killed because few people want to adopt adult cats and much fewer want to adopt a diabetic cat.

We adopt diabetic cats because we know how to give them better treatment than most vets and because we know that feline diabetes can be treated and a diabetic cat can live a long and happy life - one we adopted, named Stranger, lived to be 20+ and was diabetic for at least 7 of the last years.

Felix, the diabetic who is still with us, is about 13 or 14 years old and has been diabetic at least 6 years. His health is excellent, the last trip to the vet for an exam and blood work revealed no problems - physical or metabolic. All of his blood work numbers were well within the normal ranges.

We have very good control of Felix's diabetes and we expect him to be around for many years to come. Who knows, he may really blow away the 20+ mark that Stranger reached.

I know of many cats - from internet contacts and message boards - who are what we called steroid induced diabetics. They became diabetic after they were given steroids.

Some steroid induced diabetic cat will go into "remission" if the steroid use is stopped, but that accounts for perhaps only 20% of the cats whose diabetes was caused by steroidal use.

The last diabetic cat we adopted, named Kalib, was 12 1/2 years old and was a steroid induced diabetic. Hee medical records clearly showed the connection between the steroidal use and the diagnosis of her diabetes.

My only experience was with prednisone in pill form for pain and appetite stimulation, and it worked wonders. However, one of the downsides of steroids is they can mess with the liver to the extent that it might be difficult to run labs on enzymes later on if this ever needs to be done.

I assume you've mentioned this to your vet, but if not, I know for a fact there are other ways to relieve pain and inflammation. Also, if your vet isn't adequately addressing your concerns or being thorough in explaining drug contraindications, please keep an open mind to finding a different. I have my share of war stories with inattentive vets, and your kitty could easily have several more years of high quality life left. In fact, my first "war story" with a moron vet happened with my very first kitty when she was 19 and I was told to euthanize her. She lived over 2 years longer with high quality of life and minimal expense.

Edit: Jeff, please stop calling yourself a vet assistant. Most knowledgeable owners know more than vet assistants, and that's assuming you're one to begin with.

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